World Lupus Day: 2012

1. First off, thank you so much for all of your kind comments on my quilt post. The quilt was delivered last week and it is patiently awaiting the arrival of it's owner :D  I honestly had no idea how excited I would feel about my friends' pregnancies and babies, but let me tell you- it is an awesome feeling and I am so happy for them!

2. Today is World Lupus Day! 

World Lupus Day

Last year, I posted a month long series on Lupus Awareness. I wanted to do the same this year, but May suddenly appeared and I'm still trying to play catch-up (how is this year almost half-way over?!?).

It utterly amazes me that I have met so many people with some sort of encounter with Lupus. What was once an unknown illness, seems to have become something more familiar. Unfortunately this probably means that more people are diagnosed or know someone that is diagnosed with this autoimmune illness.  But hopefully, this also means that awareness is spreading. And awareness is such an amazing, wonderful thing.

Awareness = more resources for people with Lupus. The Lupus Foundation's website has an excellent page called "15 Questions with...", which discusses a Lupus-related topic every month. I recently discovered this page and I love that questions are asked by people like you and me. They are questions that are perhaps often thought about, but never asked. They are questions that are answered by individuals who have devoted their life to helping people with this illness. It is hard to believe that information sources like this were not available 10 years ago.
There are many, many other great resources out there too:

• The Lupus Foundation of America's (LFA's) blog
• Could I have Lupus?- a government information site on Lupus
• May Lupus Awareness Month Facts
• The Lupus Awareness Page

And of course, it is important to remember that research and awareness is made possible by donations from you. Did you know, the first new drug to treat Lupus in 56 years was approved by the USFDA last year.  That's right- 56 years.  And though that saddens me, it is a reminder of progress.  A path is forming that will lead to an end, and hopefully that end means a cure. To find out how you can help make this possible, go here.

World Lupus Day: 2012